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Follow UsAs Shubman Gill perished for an eight-ball duck on the first day of the Chennai Test, there was a loud roar at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on September 19.
The cheers did not come from the Bangladesh supporters. Rather, it came from the team India faithful, who knew that Gill’s dismissal would bring to the crease Virat Kohli, who had last played a Test match for India back in January.
Kohli walked out to the middle to an extraordinary reception and his arrival seemed to increase the energy levels in the entire stadium.
Facing an on-fire Hasan Mahmud, the right-hander shouldered arms to the first ball he faced, which was a good length delivery outside off-stump. Kohli got off the mark with a flick off his second ball and then played a trademark wristy clip on the fourth ball he faced, giving the impression that he was in fine touch, ‘locked in’ and set for a big score.
However, that clip off the pads turned out to be a false dawn as the 35-year-old perished on his sixth ball, fishing one outside-off stump.
It was a classic Kohli dismissal. One that we’ve been accustomed to for at least the last four years.
Mahmud sent the delivery down on a full-ish, driveable good length outside off, and Kohli went searching for a drive. He was eyeing the cover boundary, but he instead ended up nicking it to the wicketkeeper, Litton Das.
It was the 12th time since 2020 that Kohli had got out nicking one to the wicketkeeper. Only Joe Root (13), Cheteshwar Pujara (14) and Zak Crawley (18) have nicked more to the wicketkeeper off pacers in the last 4.5 years.
The good news is that Virat Kohli is back in Test cricket. The bad news is that so is his fishing outside off-stump.
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